Vehicle



BALWM 33 Nov. 13 1923.

J. E. REBOURS VEHICLE Filed oct. 21

6 Sheets-Sheet 2 J. E. REBOURS VEHICLE Nov. 1s, 1923. l Mmm@ Filed Oct. 2l 1921 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 n\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ l"\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\x\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ mmm@ Nov. 13 H923.

J. E. REBOURS VEHICLE Filed 0G15. 2l

1921 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Nov. i3, i923.

saires VEHICLE.

Application filed Detener 21, 1921, Serial Ilo. 509,246.

To all whom t 'may concern:

Be it vknown-that I, JULES EREBOURS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful improvements in Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

The presentinvention relates to vehicles; and an object thereof is, generally, to provide an improved top for a vehicle;l a further object is to provide improved means for raising and lowering the top of a vehicle; a further object is to provide iinproved means for supporting the top of a vehicle above the body thereof; a further object is to provide in connection with the top raising and loweringmeans a convenient chamber for containing a spare, wheel or tire for the vehicle, so arranged that space may be economized; a further object is to provide afraine attachable to the body of a vehicle and carrying the top and top-raising means; a further object is to provide a wind shield which may be held in various positions as may be desired.

These and Vany other objects hereinafter appearing are attained by, and the invention finds preferable embodiment in, 'the structure hereinafter particularly described `in the body of this specification and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which ze- Figure 1 is a side view of part of an automobile, the rear portion thereof being shown in vertical section;

Figure 2 is a like sectional view of a fragment thereof, the top-carrying member being shown in lowered position;

Figure 3 is a rear view of the automobile;

Figure e: is a iikeview of a portion thereof, the top-carrying member being shown in lowered position;

Figure 5 is a view of parts of the same, vertically sectioned on the axis of the roller on which the flexibletop is wound;

Figure 6 is a side view of a portion of the automobile including a door thereof;

Figure 7 is a sectional view of the same taken on a horizontal plane corresponding to line 7-7 of Figure 6;

`Figure 8 is a sectional view of the same taken on a vertical plane corresponding to line 8 8 of Figure 6;

Figure 9 is a side view of certain parte of the same and of the top-supporting means, partially sectioned on a vertical plane corresponding to line 9-9 of Fig ure 10;

Figure 10 is a top plan view of the top of the automobile, parts thereof being broken away;

Figure li is a sectional view of the forward part of the automobiles top, taken on a vertical plane corresponding to line 1 1-11 of Figure-10 (and much enlarged), the topfsupporting side ribs being folded together;

Figure 12 is a like View of the forward art of said top talen on line 12-12 of Figure l0;

Figure 13 is a top plan view of portions of the tops supporting ribs folded together; Figure la is a much enlarged sectional view of a part of the rear portion of the autoinobilegtalren on a vertical. plane corresponding toline 11i-14: of Figure 3; and Figure 15 is a sectional view of a portion of the automobile tal-:en on horizontal piane just above the seats.

.ln the embodiment of the invention chosen for illustration by the drawings and fordetailed description in the body of this specification, my invention is shown applied to a vehicle-an automobile-having the body portion designated generally 1. This body carries the autoinobiles top and means for raising and lowering the same, the top being a flexible sheetfZ which may be fun nished with,transversely-extending slats 3, as shown, for stiffening it. rl`his flexible top is carried by and is rollable on a roller l rotatably-mounted at 5 in a'chamber 20 in a member 6 adapted to be raised and lowered relatively to the body 1, as in suitable upwardly-extending guides 7 carried by the body. This member may be thus raised and lowered and held in raised position by any suitable means, as by the windlass 8 turned by the hand crank 9 and having cords 10 wound thereon and over pulleys 21 and attached to said member 6 at 11. rEhe windlass may have a ratchet wheel and detent (not shown) to hold the member 6 in raised position; or other means to this end may be employed, as the bolts 12 slidable in bearings 22 on the body and adapted to be slid into sockets 13 in the member 6 (see Figures 1 and 3).

The body 1 of the automobile has at its rear portion, as shown, a chamber lll in which the member G is raised and lowered, said chamber being adapted to contain a only the lowered member 6 but also this spare Wheel or tire 15. Y

The top is supported in extended position over the body 1 by suitable means, preferably the` following: The i'ree. Vor toi'- ivard end o1 the flexible top has a cross rib 25 (see Figures 10, 11 and 12) provided with openings 26 into which the hooks27'carlried at the upper ends ot' the supports 2S ot the Windshield 29 at the 'tore part Vof the automobile, are adapted to be removably inserted as seen in Figure 12. A pair of" side ribs 30, 31 at each side et the top are pivotally connected at 32, and one of them 30 is pivotally connected at 33 to said front cross rib 25 and ythe other side rib 31 has a socket S4 into which the pin 35 car ried at the upper end ct the arm 36 is adapted to be inserted, this arm being hingedly mounted at 37 on the side Wall of the automobile. Another cross rib 38' is supported at either end by the upper end ot' the arm 36, the said pin 35 entering a socket 39 therein. A second pair of side ribs 40, dlat each side ofthe top are pivotally connected at e2, and one et' them L10 is pivotally connected at Zllto said cross rib 38 the other side rib 41 being pivotally connected at le to the member 6. lhen the top is to belowered.l it is Wound or rolled on the roller Ll, as by applying a suitable Wrench or key to the squared eiid L15 ot its shatt` 'and the cross ribs and side ribs are folded into parallel relation with each other, as seen in Figure 13, and pushed into the chamber1 20 in the member 6, as particularly seen in Figure 14, the roller being perferably held against unrolling by its ratchet 47 held by detent 48. A plurality of cross ribs similar to 38 and a plurality ofainis similar to 36, las at 49 in `Figures 6 and 7, may be provided.

instead et the chamber 141 (which contains the spare tire and in `which the member 6 israised. and lowered) beingliorincdlin the body 1 itself o1 the vehicle, and instead oft the arms 36, L19 being` mounted directly on said body, such chamber may be Jformed in, and said arms may be carried by, a suitable Jframe designated generally 50, adapted to restV on the upper edges o1 the sidewalls 60 and rear end of the vehicies body, and to be detachably connected thereto in any suitable way, as by screws 51 (Figures 6 and 7), soV that my top carryinff, raising and supporting mechanism may be readily applied to vehicles and readily detached there from. This Jframe 50 is desirably provided with flanges 52 engaging the side Walls for securely lioldingthe trame in place. This Vtrame is interrupted by an opening 53 regis-V tering with the door opening 54 in the side at opposite sides of the door opening, is Y securedto the door 56 vand carries the vvindoiv Y5T slidable vertically in side members 55 `carried vby the member 55,"as'seen .in Figures 6, 7 and n6. The side WallsO or (doors 56 therein)- maybe provided With sockets 62, anda transverse portion 63 of the body may be provided with sockets 64, sothat the vertically extending pins 65 of thev Windshield 66 may be insertedintoa side Walls 'socket 62 and into a socket 64 of thev transverse portionv63 to holdthe shield edge up in one `position (shown in solid lines in Figure 15), or both pins 65 may be Vinserted into the sockets 64 to hold the Windshield in another edge-up position shown in dotted lines in said figure.

VThe Windows 70 (other than those in the doors) may be -made removable, when the automobiles top is lowered, by their sashes and .their supporting members extending upwardly from the trame 50-as such meinbers 71, and the arms 36,' 519--being interrelatively tongued and grooved at 72 as seen in Figures 6 andyl; y

The upwardly-extending arms 36, 49,

instea'dot being hingedly mounted as shown,

may have pins 73 adapted to be inserted into sockets 711 in the frame or body, as. seen iii Figure 6; and the upper end ot these arms may be provided With hooks T5-similar to the hook 27, .so that they may be inserted into the sockets 26 oli the vfront rib 25 when it is desired to cover only the rear portion o1 the automobileby the top. (See Figure 6.) The door-ivindoivs supports 58 may be hingedly mounted at' 7 6 or attached by `pins 7T 'entering sockets 78. i i

The invention being intended vto 'be pointed out in the claims, is netto be limited `to or by details of construction of the particular ,embodiment thereof illustrated by the dra-Wings or hereinb'e'fore described.

I claim:

1. ln a vehicle; a body having at its rear portion 'a chamber adapted to con-V tain a tire andhaving upwardly-extending guides; a member having a rotatablymounted roller Vand spaced-apart portions movable upwardly and downwardly in the guides in straddling relation With a tire in said chamber; a flexible top rollable on theroller; means carried by the body for supporting the top in extended position above the body. f

iso Y 2. In a vehicle; a body having side Walls; a frame detachably connected to the side Walls and comprising a rear portion and a member adapted to be raised and lowered thereon and having a rotatably-mounted roller; a ilexible top rollable on the roller; means carried by the body for supporting the top in extended position above the body.

3. In a vehicle; a body having side walls with a door opening therein; a frame detachably connected to the side Walls and having an opening registering with the door opening, and comprising a rear portion and a. member adapted to be raised and lowered thereon, said member having a rotatably-mounted roller; a exible top rollable on the roller; an arm piVotally-mounted on the frame adjacent the rames opening and adapted to be raised and lowered; a cross rib adapted to be detachably connected to the upper end of the raised arm :tor supporting the top in extended position above the body.

et In a vehicle; a body having side Walls with a door opening therein; a frame detachably connected to the side Walls and having an opening registering With the door opening, and comprising a rear portion and a member adapted to beraised and lowered thereon, said member having a rotatably-mounted roller; a flexible top rollable 0n the roller; an arm pivotallyfmounted on the frame adjacent the frames opening and adapted to be raised and lowered; a Window; the Window and arm having means for detachably connecting them together.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Grand Rapids, Michigan, this 17th day of October, 192'1.

JULES E. REBOURS. 

